Homeopathic medicines are manufactured by repeatedly diluting and succussing (shaking) a preparation of the original substance, mainly plants and minerals, in water and alcohol. After dilution the medicine is added to small lactose tablets or pillules familiar to many patients.

The following information about how homeopathic remedies are manufactured comes from Freeman’s Homeopathic Pharmacy

One of the major differences between homeopathy and herbalism is that homeopathy also uses remedies derived from insects, minerals, chemicals and drugs as well as plants

Plant-based remedies are processed according to the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia to obtain the primary extract or mother tincture. (Most European manufacturers will use the quality standard of the German or French Homeopathic Pharmacopoeias)

The primary extract (or mother tincture) then becomes the basis for the preparation of the potencies by a process known as potentisation. This is composed of two stages – dilution and succussion.

One drop of the mother tincture is added to 99 drops of alcohol and this mixture is struck a number of times against a ‘hard yet elastic surface’ – historically this was the family bible! This mixture has now become the 1c potency (c=centesimal ie. a 1 in 100 dilution. We also use the ‘x’ or ‘D’ scale to denote a 1 in 10 dilution)

The photographs on this page were provided for use on this website by Freeman’s Homeopathic Pharmacy

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